Tenuto Volume 7

On Freedom

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:1-11 NKJV

    The election is over, and roughly half of the country is pleased, and half of the country is displeased. My wife mentioned a quote early in the election season from Chuck Colson that we originally heard in the 1990s thanks to a Steven Curtis Chapman song entitled "Heaven in the Real World." The quote says "Where is the hope? I meet millions who tell me they feel demoralized by the decay around us. Where is the hope? The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws are passed, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people - - and that's where our hope is in this country. That's where our hope is in life." Just think about that a moment.

In March 1998, I left my bride of 7 weeks and took an oath to this great nation. I left for Army Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC, and then on to Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base to receive additional training. 10 months later, I rejoined my wife, and we lived the next 3 years in Fort Lee, VA where I served as a trumpeter in the 392^nd US Army Band. I played parades, concerts, dances, festivals, change of commands, and many other ceremonies, but none of those were as meaningful as playing "Taps" for the family of a fallen soldier. I lost count as to how many soldiers we helped lay to rest – great men and women who had served this country and its citizens with distinction, men and women who had left their spouses, their parents, their children and gone off to fight in our place – men and women who knew the potential costs, who knew they were putting their lives on the line for you and for me. I am honored and humbled to call myself a Veteran. I am proud of this nation for having a day to commemorate those individuals who stood in the gap for their nation, but I also stop and think about the Savior who was beaten, mocked, ridiculed and crucified for every soul on the earth from the beginning of time until the end of time. I find it fitting when Veteran's Day lands on Sunday. A day we should remember the One who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that all of us, every nation, every tribe, can have a freedom that we can't even fully understand this side of eternity.

The Word concludes Romans 8 with a promise:

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things preset nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I'll leave you with a song as my final thoughts. The Gaither Vocal Band tells it (and sings it!) much better than I could. Besides, I'm a Minister of Music and Worship. We need a song in here somewhere, right?

Gaither Vocal Band "Let Freedom Ring" as recorded at the White House

Tenuto Volume 6

The Advance of the Gospel

¹² I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴ And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

¹⁵Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Philippians 1:12-18 ESV

    In recent months, I have been confronted by the question of motive, not my motive, but the motive of various music publishers and their production of Christian music for worship. Recently, I learned that not all music publishers are what they seem. For example, one of the best known publishers of music for the church is actually owned by Smirnoff—one of the largest sellers of vodka in the country—and with this new found information; I was confronted with a problem: should I continue to buy music published by this company, or should I avoid them? The underlying problem is motivation. The parent company is not really interested in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ; however, the anthems sold by this company are oftentimes some of the best available. Aside from the reasons that should prevent the purchase of a particular anthem—Theological accuracy, sing ability etc—I am now confronted with a concern over motivation. On the surface this seems difficult, but, as I prayed over it and reviewed scripture, I have to say that it isn't difficult at all.

    In Luke 9:49-50, the disciples reported to Jesus that they had rebuked someone who was casting out demons without being with them, and Jesus rebuked them:

⁴⁹John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us." ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you."

Luke 9:49-50 ESV

 

Why would Jesus make this decision? I believe that the decision is based on the fact that it was not the place of the disciples to interfere with the actions or motivations of the individual casting out the demon. The Minister of worship is not any better that the disciples were; therefore, it is not our place to pass judgment on the motivation or attitude of the ones writing the music we use. In the case I mentioned concerning my seminary class, the question arose, or rather the statement was made that because the owner of the music publishing house was in it "for the money," instead of for the glory of God, we should not be purchasing music from them. My response is from Philippians 1:15-18 in which Paul points out that as long as the gospel is being preached he doesn't care what the motivation of the one preaching is, as long as Christ is being preached.

¹⁵Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Philippians 1:15-18 ESV

 

I believe the same thing applies here. As the Worship Pastor (or whatever the title), it is our job to make certain that the music we select is theologically accurate, able to be sung by our congregation, and above all glorifying to God; however, it is not our responsibility to judge the music based upon the parent company of the publishing house, neither is it our right to judge the motivation of the one who composed it. We as Worship leadership have to be very careful that we don't add clairvoyance to the lists of spiritual gifts, as we cannot be caught in the trap of determining what is going on in the minds of the composers and/or publishing house when we determine the usability of their product. Only God knows the inner workings of the heart; therefore, only God can pass such a judgment.

What I Believe Worship Means…

One of my personal favorite definitions of worship is from the book Return to Worship by Randy Owens, and that definition reads as follows:

Worship is the response of an adoring heart to the magnificence of God. In the highest sense of the word, it is the occupation of the created with the Creator Himself. It is the pure joy of magnifying the One whose name is above every other name.

(Owens pg 38)

 
We as fallen man are wholly incapable of saving ourselves; therefore, God stepped in and through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ His Son has provided a way through grace for our salvation. When Jesus was crucified in my place, He paid a debt that I would never be able to pay on my own, and because of that grace, I am able to know with confidence that I have been saved from the punishment I deserve. My worship, therefore, is my response to God for this great gift. Also, as the created, I have an absolute loyalty and responsibility to worship God. It therefore becomes my responsibility to live my life in a way that worships God.
The primary function of the church is to worship the living God who through His grace provided salvation through the substitutionary sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. I believe that leading worship comes from the overflow of my personal walk with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. I believe that as believers, we worship to the extent the Holy Spirit is permitted to fill us. We are commanded to worship God in "Spirit and in truth"

21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me,
the hour is coming when
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know;
we worship what we know, for
salvation is
from the Jews.
23 But
the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father
in spirit and
truth, for the Father
is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:21-24 (ESV)

When we worship, we must allow the Spirit to move through us. Musical style should have no bearing on how we worship because worship stems from our relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit; therefore, our ability to worship is a direct reflection on our Spiritual health.
True Worship is the root of outreach: As the Worship Leader leads from the overflow of his relationship with Jesus Christ, so also the members of our individual congregations are able to minister and share their faith through the condition and overflow of the individual worshipper's heart. This means that when our hearts are filled with worship, we too can minister to others through our overflow. In other words, when we have allowed the Spirit to fill us and lead us in worship, we will have no other recourse but to radiate the love of Christ, and as we overflow with the love of Christ, people around us will take note and perhaps be drawn to the grace of Jesus Christ.
True Worship is lifestyle: Many people believe that worship is that thing we do between Sunday School and lunch on Sunday morning and then we are done for the week, but, I believe that scripture indicates that all we do whether it is work or bible study or shopping, it is an act of worship to God. Because we represent the living God, we must always be careful to show Christ in our day to day activities, whether that is work or play. As we follow the living God who provides us with the grace of salvation, we must live our lives in a way that causes people to wonder what is different about us as compared with others. As Christians, we cannot escape worship, we must be aware of the fact that our very lives must be lived as an act of worship.

 

Graduation Announcement

 The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

announces that
Russell Todd Files

is a candidate for the degree of

Master of Arts

in

Worship Leadership and Christian Ministry

 

Friday May Eighteenth Two Thousand Twelve

at ten o'clock in the morning

Seminary Lawn

Louisville, Kentucky

 

Commencement services will also be live-streamed at

www.sbts.edu

Tenuto Volume 4 - What's in a Name?

a guest blog by Stephanie Crider Files

Names are important.  Biblically speaking God places high regard on names. He gave many people names, and even changing people's names to reflect events in their lives. So when someone crosses your path with the same name as you, does it make you feel differently toward them? For me, it does.  If I see the checkout girl's name tag reads, "Stephanie" I make sure I smile at her.  Likewise, when I found a professor of Russ's classes with the last name "Crider" I felt an instant connection.  We don't know if we're related through genealogy or not, but we are assured of our relation through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the bridge that connects us as brother and sister.  His name has the power to unite us all. "For there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 NASB.  He gives us His name, His grace, and His inheritance. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:16-17 NIV. He makes us a family.  So today, let me ask you to ponder the following hymn and ask you "Are you a part of the Family of God?"  Seek Him, Know Him! He is everything you are searching for and in His name is awesome power!!

The Family of God
William and Gloria Gaither

I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God
I've been washed in the fountain,  cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod;
For I'm part of the family, the family of God.

I know, for me, personally I AM SO GLAD I'm a part of the family of God. Being part of that family makes my own family so much stronger! Being part of that family means meeting other members of the family and having an instant connection and love for one another.  Being part of that family has changed my life forever!!!